Archive for the ‘Oldsmobile Fiesta’ tag

It almost seems like a fantasy, but apparently Oldsmobile buyers could get a J-2 setup on their Fiesta station wagons, just as this 1957 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight Fiesta station wagon is equipped. A three-speed manual could have been had as well, but this one has the Hyrda-Matic. With a recent repaint, redone interior, tuneup, and refurbishing throughout, this wagon appears entirely ready to hit the road and exercise all three of those carburetors. From the seller’s description:

The car has the original 371 cubic inch V-8 engine with J-2 tri-power carburetors (3×2 barrels) and the original Hydra-Matic transmission. The wagon has been painted in the original Olds color scheme with base coat and clear coat. The wagon has a new interior and headliner with new carpet. The custom dual exhaust was installed by Tony’s Exhaust Shop of Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is a true dual exhaust from the manifolds back with dual Magna Flow mufflers. The bumpers are new triple-plated chrome by Keystone Company of Michigan.

We have just completed an extensive mechanical rework of most of the major systems on this wagon. We added new weather stripping to all the doors, vent windows and cargo hatch areas. Complete rebuild of the brakes with new brake shoes, wheel cylinders, brake hoses and turned drums. Replaced the front wheel bearings and had our electrical shop rebuild the generator. Added new upper ball joints, control arm bushings and sleeves and replaced tie rods. Added seat belts for front and back seats. Installed a brand new gas tank and fuel lines from the Fusick catalogue and also rebuilt the J-2 tri power carburetors, rebuilt the fuel pump and added a new inline fuel filter and rebuilt the power steering pump.

Completed an oil and filter change with a complete tune up with new plugs, points, condenser and distributor cap, with new spark plug wires, and new valve cover gaskets. Added new Oldsmobile front and rear floor mats also from the Fusick catalog. Added brand new tires (BFGoodrich RWL) and gray igniter wheels from Coker Tire for $1,660. Completed a front-end alignment and spin balanced all tires and wheels. Also back flushed the radiator and added new coolant with all new hoses and belts. Replaced the wiper blades and repaired and adjusted the wiper transmission and linkage.

As long as we’re pointing out semicentennials such as that of the Chrysler Turbine, we’d be remiss in failing to mention that Buick’s grand-tourer-slash-personal-luxury car, the Buick Riviera, also turns 50 this year.

Still regarded as perhaps the best post-war automotive design worthy of graduating to Full Classic status, the Buick Riviera was one of the biggest automotive newsmakers of the day. While the name dates back to 1949, when Buick applied it to the pillarless two-door hardtop version of the Roadmaster, the Riviera broke out as a separate car in 1963, but it almost didn’t happen that way. Bill Mitchell reportedly got the inspiration for the Riviera’s sharp lines and sporty nature from, respectively, Rolls-Royce and Ferrari, and then turned to Ned Nickles to flesh out the concept as a revived La Salle; it only became a Buick when Cadillac passed on the idea and GM then shopped it around to its other divisions.

In that first year, power complemented styling with a standard 401-cu.in., 325hp V-8, or the optional 340hp 425. A finely tuned suspension provided great balance while front and rear leather bucket seats and center console made for both a stunning and comfortable interior. It brought a whole new meaning to the phrase “personal luxury car market” that up till then had been dominated by Ford’s Thunderbird.

Describing its appearance is an exercise in adjectives; perhaps the best words collectively grouped together came from Lawrence Gustin and the late Terry Dunham (co-authors of The Buick: A Complete History) when they penned “but more significant than anything else was the styling, the sharply sculptured roofline, the sheer side panels, the low silhouette, and especially that unique frameless side window glass.”

The Riviera remained a part of Buick’s lineup for the next 36 years, and while it remained that marque’s personal luxury car the entire time, it still went through several significant transformations. It went on to share a body shell with the Oldsmobile Toronado (yet remain rear-wheel drive) in 1966, adopt the polarizing boat-tail styling in 1971, finally switch to front-wheel drive in 1979, and then at its nadir suffer through a downsized generation and miss a model year in the mid-1990s. Along the way, it took a Motor Trend Car of the Year award, paced the Indianapolis 500, and earned accolades from the likes of Sergio Pininfarina and Raymond Loewy.

Nor is the Riviera the only Buick celebrating an anniversary this year. Perhaps lost in the headlines is the 60th anniversary of the custom-crafted Skylark that, at the time, was itself a Buick designed to commemorate the division’s 50th anniversary. Deservedly, it created its own set of headlines, mostly due to its stunning styling. The Skylark has good company this year, as its corporate siblings, the Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Fiesta, not only share the anniversary but should also be included in the styling discussion (refer to the SIA Flashback on the three special edition models posted earlier for further details). Furthermore, it should also be noted that Buick, Cadillac, Ford and Harley-Davidson are all sharing another production milestone: this year marks their 110th Anniversaries.

It’s a favorite of longtime car collectors to gather each of the special semi-custom GM cars of 1953 – the Cadillac Eldorado, Buick Skylark, and Oldsmobile Fiesta (some even include the first-year Corvette in that list) – particularly in matching color combinations, so it’s no surprise that SIA eventually put together a comparison of the three, highlighting exactly what made the cars so special, written by John G. Tennyson for SIA #134, March 1993.

I, at least, wasn’t born in time to find myself enraptured by the treasures of the original General Motors Motorama as it appeared in 1953. This may be the next best scenario any of us is likely to experience. Mecum’s annual Spring Classic Auction in Indianapolis will have a Motorama-themed sale involving four spectacular GM creations from 1953, being put up for bid individually.

Here’s the lineup: Corvette number 274, built by hand at a temporary plant in Flint, Michigan, and restored by Brett Henderson of Blue Flame Restorations in Pendleton, Indiana, with original and NOS parts only. Next, a 1953 Cadillac Eldorado convertible with full optioning, including the signal-seeking radio, one of 532 produced. The 1953 Oldsmobile Fiesta is even more scarce, total build 458, with an estimated 10 percent survival rate, this one having a 2,500-hour restoration completed in 2009. Buick produced 1,690 Skylark convertibles in 1953, including this one, restored and finished in Patriot Blue. The auction, now in its 24th year, runs May 17-22 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Call 815-568-8888 or visit www.mecum.com.